But I wasn’t stupid.
After Gideon confessed everything, I hired a private investigator to dig deeper.
Every business trip Primrose took in the past two years, every hotel she stayed at, each detail matched Gideon’s story perfectly.
When we married ten years ago, I made one thing clear.
I could endure aging, sickness, and even death. I could bear anything but deceit.
If something was wrong, we would talk it out. But hiding it from me? That was unforgivable.
I might have forgiven them for the betrayal in the bedroom.
But I couldn’t accept Primrose’s endless lies, claiming she was on business trips when she was secretly checking into hotels with Gideon.
Couldn’t accept her pretending to live a chaste life with me while she was lost in another man’s arms, moaning beneath him.
And what I absolutely couldn’t swallow was that she carried another man’s child behind my back, even going overseas to give birth.
“That’s enough, Primrose.”
Exhausted by her deceit, I looked her straight in the eye. “I investigated. That child’s birthdate doesn’t even line up with that night.”
I stared coldly into her eyes and spoke every word with deliberate calm.
“Even if those photos were fakes, ask yourself honestly, was it really just one night with Gideon?”
Primrose’s face flushed, then drained of color as I laid bare her truth.
She stood there, stunned, mouth opening, but no words came out.
Without looking back, I turned and walked away.
The only thing I left behind was one cold command, “Just sign it.”
“After that, hand the papers to my lawyer. I never want to see you again.”
Three days passed, and Primrose still refused to sign.
She even pretended to be sick, tricking me into coming to her family’s old house for dinner.
When I arrived, the whole Archival clan was there.
My eyes locked on Gideon sitting quietly in the corner. I said nothing.
He looked nervous, and when he caught my gaze, his voice wavered. “Brother Carson, I shouldn’t be here... but Mr. and Mrs. Archival said Alec is their eldest grandson, so he has to be at the family dinner today...”
Alec, that was their child.
Elizabeth cut in sharply, “Alec is my strong, healthy grandson. Who could possibly keep him from a family dinner?”
She cast a pointed, sarcastic glance in my direction.
“Besides, tonight’s dinner was meant to welcome the child back into the fold.”
Primrose’s eyes stayed nervously locked on me the entire time.
She pulled out a chair for me and served my plate with careful hands, trying hard to win my favor.
“Carson, Mom and Dad are getting old. They long for a grandchild. Don’t blame me for making this decision alone. Whether the child becomes officially part of the family still depends on your consent.”
Both her parents’ faces showed clear disapproval, as they had never liked the way Primrose doted on me.
“Primrose, don’t forget who truly commands the Archival family. Carson is your husband, not some outsider who married in. Don’t tarnish the Archival name.”
I didn’t even touch my spoon or fork, sitting silent and unmoved.
We had been married for ten years. I had chosen to remain childfree, and Primrose had respected that; no children came of our union.
But her parents never understood.
They had always looked down on me, whispering cruel rumors behind my back that I was infertile, not man enough.
Before, their gossip was whispered in shadows.
Now, with Primrose’s backup and a “precious” grandson, their disdain was brazen and loud.
Her mother, Elizabeth’s eyes bore into me. “Carson, you’ve been part of the Archival family for ten years. We don’t fault you for not having children. But at the very least, don’t you think it’s only right to restore our bloodline?”
I set down my wine glass, smiled coldly, and nodded. “Of course. Since the child is Primrose’s biological son, bringing him home is only proper.”
Joy instantly spread through the room. Primrose even set down her spoon and fork, glowing with happiness.
